Luke & Lulu’s slated to open in Allen Park

An Allen Park woman is returning to the coffeehouse business with the planned opening of Luke and Lulu’s on Allen Road.

The business, which is slated to open in mid-November, is owned by Kimberly Bandoske, the former owner of the Park Avenue Perk Cafe, and her husband, Peter.

The Park Avenue Perk was a well-known cafe in the mid ‘90s, but Bandoske said she and her then-business partner decided to close over a landlord dispute.

The desire to own a business never really went away, however.

“It stayed as a dream for me,” Bandoske said, “and I eventually convinced my husband to invest our retirement in the dream. He always says he ran out of reasons to say no.”

In homage to their family, the Bandoskes named Luke and Lulu’s after two of their children, Luke, 22, and Peyton, 16, whom Kimberly Bandoske has called “Lulu” since birth.

Aside from the requisite coffee, Luke and Lulu’s will have smoothies and assorted muffins, scones and breakfast sandwiches.

Bandoske said Luke and Lulu’s will be supplied by Michigan-based companies as much as possible, including scones from Elwin and Company in Berkley.

Lunch will include homemade soups, salads, sandwiches and paninis, and items can be made to order and even preordered a day earlier.

“I’m not a big fan of grab-and-go lunches,” Bandoske said. “I like things made certain ways, and this way you can make a pre-order online the way you like it and grab it.”

Bandoske explained that each pre-ordered lunch is custom made to the diner’s orders and can be ordered online in advance for those who know they will have a busy day.

While a coffee vendor has not been decided yet, Bandoske said she is weighing the options between Uncommon Ground in Saugatuck and Coffee Express in Plymouth.

The interior of the cafe will feature a rustic look with natural-colored wood and what Bandoske calls a light, fun, fresh and airy feel. A community table will be featured within the dining area.

To get to that point, however, Bandoske said there is quite a bit of work to be done.

“We have to replace everything, from the electrical and all the plumbing and new walls,” Bandoske said. “We are gutting it down to the subfloor.”

The property was once a dental lab, and because the Bandoskes are converting the property, they need an approval from the county before construction can begin.

“We’re really shooting for mid-November (to open) but obviously that depends on the reconstruction OK from the county,” she said. “As soon as we get the OK to go, things will start happening to that building.”

Bandoske said they are very excited to have found the building in Allen Park, considering it is their hometown and where they raised their children.

“We plan on being very involved in the community in any way that we can,” she added.

Luke and Lulu’s will be open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Eventually, Bandoske hopes to stay open later on the third Thursdays of each month.